Half-Blood Heroes: The Rescue of Aphrodite
by DriveRed
Summary: Three Half-bloods; Troy, Amy, and Matt go on a quest to save the kidnapped Goddesses Hera and Aphrodite. The first part of the quest takes them to the Sea of Monsters, where not only do they face horrible creatures, and the dreaded Polyphemus, but find that kidnapper of the Goddesses seems to hit close to home. Part 1 of 3. Takes place 3 years after the Heroes of Olympus.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

It was a nice sunny day in Long Island, New York. It is the type of day where most people would be outside, enjoying themselves by getting ice-cream, walking the dog, or even just walking outside and taking in the sun light.

The day was being enjoyed however, by a camp on Long Island. It wasn't an ordinary Camp however, it was a training camp, protected by borders; magical borders, and is home to demigods, Greek demigods. A demigod is an individual who is half mortal. The other half is god. The Greek Gods of Olympus would come down to the mortal world and have children with mortals, resulting in the demigod. The Camp they were at was called Camp Half-Blood, and the training they did was learning how to fight, and protect themselves from monsters.

Troy Grant swung down from a platform, having been doing a new obstacle course that the Campers had installed. He was a Caucasian male, at 17 years old. He stood 5'10, had brown hair, and blue eyes. He wiped his forehead, and laughed. "Chiron, can we make this a bit more difficult? That was too easy." he asked the activities director. Chiron smiled. Chiron was a centaur, half man, and half horse, and was the one who had brought Troy to Camp-Half Blood when he was 8 years old.

"If only I could Troy. But the others seem to think that this is difficult enough. I'm pretty sure the Ares, and Athena Cabins believe the same thing you do." Chiron told Troy.

"I'm pretty sure one of those two is my Godly parent. One of these days Chiron, I'm going to be claimed." Troy said, trying to convince himself of what he said. Chiron put his hand on Troy's shoulder.

"You know as well as I that had your parent had been Athena, you would have been claimed at birth." he said kindly. It was a sad fact that even though Troy was one of the best, and strongest Campers, he had not been claimed by his Godly parent. Troy still followed the same tradition that was in effect before a request had been made by Percy Jackson that the Gods claim their children by age 13; he stayed in the Hermes cabin.

"I thought Jackson made that deal with the Gods was to claim all their children at 13? If that is the case, why is it at 17, I'm still not claimed?" he asked for the millionth time. He had been 14 when when Percy Jackson made that request with the Gods after fighting in the Second Titan War.

It was. However, I am not sure why you haven't been claimed yet. It will come sometime eventually. Chiron assured him. Troy nodded and went off to grab his water bottle.

Watching him was Amy Sphere, a 16 year old slender, Caucasian girl, who stood 5'7, had long red hair, and green eyes, and was a daughter of Apollo. She also had a very weird sense in fashion; she wore dangling gold earring in the shape of the sun, and two thick gold armbands on her biceps. She also wore shorts, and had her camp t-shirt sleeves rolled up. The Aphrodite Cabin had told her she had the beauty to be in their Cabin, but definitely not the fashion. She was supposed to be practicing her archery, but was one of the better archers in all of the Camp. She adjusted one of her gold armbands, and sighed.

She and Troy had been friends since the Second Titan War, however, she was madly in love with him. She had hoped he had felt the same feelings, but it was a long shot.

"Troy, I wish you would see me as more than a friend." she said to herself sadly. She then turned and fired an arrow from her bow, getting her tenth bulls-eye in a row.

Troy got his water bottle, just has his best friend Matt Debunker walked up to him. Matt was a 17 year old Latino Male. He was 5'9, had black hair, and brown eyes. He was a son of Hermes, and had some of the Hermes children traits; an impish look, pointed hears, and could be very sneaky. He also had a good skill in theft, like all the other Hermes children, but tried not to steal due to his mortal mother being a Cop. Matt put his sword down and laughed.

"So tell me, must you show us all up on that new obstacle course? It's been up for three days, and you've already mastered it. I don't even think the Athena Cabin has figured out a strategy for it yet!" Matt said. The last part of his sentence earned him a glare from a son of Athena who was passing by.

Troy chuckled. "Chiron wanted me to try it out. Have to say, it's really not difficult." he replied. The two walked back to their Cabin, The Hermes Cabin, Cabin # 11. There were twenty cabins at Camp Half Blood. One for each God. Only Cabins that had no Camper inside of it was the Hera Cabin, mostly the Zeus Cabin, and the Artemis Cabin, which held the Hunters of Artemis when they came to Camp.

The two passed the Hades Cabin, and received a glare from the cabins only current Camper, Marcus Gaunt. Marcus was a 16 year old African American male, who looked sullen, depressed, or angry most of the time. No one really bothered with him most of the time, and he showed no interest in talking, or being friends with anyone. They reached their Cabin, which had peeling brown paint, and had a caduceus on the front.

"By the way, Amy was staring at you again. Dude, I really think she likes you." Matt said to Troy.

"I know she does, and I really like her too. However, I think she could do better than some demigod who hasn't been claimed yet." Troy said.

The duo got changed, and grabbed their weapons; Troy had a celestial bronze sword that changed from a tactical folding knife when a button on the hilt was pressed. Matt had a celestial bronze sword that changed from a flash light when the button was pressed. Troy also put on a pair of fingerless weight lifting gloves, which he said gave him more grip on his sword.

They joined a crowd now gathered over at the obstacle course. Chiron, and the camp's director Mr. D were standing near. Mr. D was actually the Greek God Dionysus. He had been sent there by Zeus to serve as the camps director after chasing an off limits nymph for 100 years. However, after the events of the Second Titan War, his punishment got cut down to 50 years (or 47 now).

Chiron cleared his voice. "Alright heroes. This obstacle course will be in place instead of Capture the Flag tonight. First to finish the course in the fastest time, and that persons Cabin will not have to do chores for a week." Chiron told the group. "However, it must be done fairly. Any use of cheating will disqualify that person, and their Cabin immediately." he added. "First up, Troy Grant, and Marcus Gaunt." Both Troy and Marcus walked up to where Chiron and Mr. D were standing.

"Good luck to you both." Chiron said.

Yeah, good luck Terry and Mark. Mr. D said, rolling his eyes. He had a habit of calling campers by wrong names. Marcus glared at Mr. D.

"My name is NOT Mark. Get it right." Marcus said to Mr. D. Mr. D turned around.

"Remember you are addressing a God." Mr. D warned Marcus. Troy laughed a bit, and got ready to start the Obstacle course.

"Ready? Begin!" Chiron yelled. The two then raced towards the beginning of the obstacle.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Troy and Marcus jump on a wall, and grabbed the rope hanging on it, and quickly climbed up the wall. Upon reaching the top, they jumped onto a platform that spun around. Trot was the first to make it onto the spinning platform, while Marcus awaited it to spin around again. Troy then grabbed another rope and swung to a ladder, and climbed up the ladder.

"Atta boy Troy!" he heard Matt yell from the ground.

"Go Troy!" he also heard Amy shout from the ground. His face got a little flushed when she cheered him on, and he fumbled with the ladder. He turned around to see Marcus glaring at him, his face pure red. Troy turned around, hopped on another rope, and slid down to another platform, where there were machines that had swords and shields ready. Troy grabbed his weapon, and clicked the hilt, making his sword form.

"Come at me you giant pieces of scrap." he said. He charged the machines, and fought them all, the metal of the swords banging and clanging. All of the Campers admired the way he fought. He was like a man possessed. Even though he wasn't claimed, Campers swore he fought like he belonged in the Ares cabin.

Troy then did a front flip away from the machines, and landed onto a different platform, where another rope hung over a pool of lava. He turned to see Marcus fighting the machines. Troy slid down the rope over the pool of lava, onto a fourth platform, where there were three beams of different heights he had to climb over. He hopped over the first, jumped back on it to jump onto the second one, and then jumped down to go over the third one. He was about to finish when he felt a piercing pain go across his back, and a lot of yells coming from the crowd below.

Troy fell and looked to see Marcus with his sword standing over Troy, smirking. "Guess I win." Marcus said. Marcus hopped onto the final rope and slid down. Troy struggled to his feet, and slid down the rope, kicking Marcus in the back. Marcus landed head first on a rock, and turned around, face full of fury, and tried attacking Troy.

"You stupid no good unclaimed demigod!" Marcus cried. He tried to punch Troy, but was tackled by Matt. Troy struggled to stand, and fell backwards. He then felt a hand touch his shoulder.

"Troy, roll over. I'm going to heal you." Amy said soothingly. Troy did what he was asked to do, and Amy started singing a song to her father in Ancient Greek. Troy immediately felt his back feeling better. He got up and saw that some of the campers had pulled Matt off of Marcus, and that Chiron had a hold of Marcus.

"Marcus! What is your problem today!" Chiron thundered.

"That loser Troy! He thinks he is better than all of us. All he is is an unclaimed demigod whose own parent is too ashamed to claim him!" Marcus shouted. That was a low blow, so Troy made a lunge for Marcus, only to be restrained by some Campers of the Demeter, Aphrodite, and Ares Cabins.

"ENOUGH!" Chiron yelled. All the struggling ceased at once. "Marcus. Go back to your Cabin! Do not let me see you again tonight wandering about! Troy, meet me in the Big House." Chiron and Troy headed off to the Big House, a large sky blue house which was used for Camp meetings, and the infirmary.

Troy walked in, with Chiron right behind him. "Troy, calm down." Chiron immediately said to his Camper.

"I can't Chiron. Not after what the bastard said." Troy replied angrily, tears actually dripping down his face. He knew Chiron disapproved of swearing, but Troy couldn't help it. He had just been attacked, and embarrassed in front of a Camp he had been at since he was 8, in front of Campers whom had given him a lot of respect, in front of a Cabin that had stood behind him for years, and in front of his best friend and his secret crush. Chiron touched his shoulder.

"You know Marcus has issue with people, and being lonely. Seeing how much the Campers love, and respect you, he probably felt angry. Though he had no right to attack you, which he will be severely punished for. You must control your anger. You are not claimed yes. However, I feel that you may have a big event coming up in your life that will help you get claimed." Chiron told him gently. Troy wiped away his tears, composed himself, and nodded.

"Thanks Chiron." Troy muttered. He then walked out of the Big House. He headed back towards the Hermes Cabin, passing other Campers. He hung his head, in shame. However he did hear comments.

"Don't worry Troy! That scumbag will get whats coming to him!" an Ares Camper yelled.

"We have your back Troy!" yelled a Hephaestus Camper, who was working on a sword in front of his Cabin.

Troy then felt a hand touch him, and he turned to see Amy looking at him with a concerned look on her face. He took time to marvel the beauty she gave off. Hey Amy. he said, in shyness, and in shame.

"Hey Troy, how are you feeling?" she asked, rather quickly, blushing.

"I'm doing alright. Can't wait for that low life to show his face again." Troy said. Amy kind of shivered.

"Troy, he freaks me out. But you can't go after him in revenge. It would be like Hera going after all of Zeus's children." she said. The skies then thundered a bit. "Sorry!" Amy called to the sky.

"I know I can't. But still, it would make me feel better." Troy said. Amy gave him a hug.

"You're one of the sweetest people Troy. Don't let anger make you think weirdly." she said. After hugging him, she went back to her Cabin. Troy mentally kicked himself for not asking her out at the greatest moment, and made it back to his Cabin. He walked in, and collapsed on his bed. He looked up to see Matt looking at him.

"Matt, what is it that I have always said? If I open my eyes and you are staring at me, you are getting punched." Troy told his best friend.

"Sorry dude, but I'm worried. You have NEVER gotten that pissed off before." Matt replied.

"Get a sword to your back for no reason. It's bound to piss anyone off." Troy said.

"Well it was a fun brawl. Damn Campers ruined my fun of beating Marcus to a pulp. The Aphrodite daughters were complimenting my buffness though." Matt added, flexing. Troy laughed.

"Keep dreaming buddy. You may or may not get Veronica." Troy said, clapping Matt on the back. Veronica Solan, a daughter of Aphrodite, had caught Matts eye when they were 15, and he had talked about her non stop, and even tried asking her out a few times. She however, politely turned him down.

"Alright boys and girls." Travis Stoll, one of the two Head Counselers of the Hermes Cabin, said. "Dinner time. Fall in line. Troy, try not to beat the living daylights out of Marcus at dinner please." he added jokingly.

"No promises." Troy replied The Cabin walked to the dinner table, at the dining pavilion, and sat down. Each Cabin had their own table, and were forbidden to sit at another table.. Troy sat down and looked at his goblet, and said "Orange Kool-Aid." The goblet filled with Orange Kool-Aid, and Troy helped himself to some of the food that the wood nymphs brought out.

"Alright, time to offer a portion of your food to the Gods." Chiron announced. They all lined up, and said their parents name, and tossed a piece of food into the fire. It was soon Troy's turn.

"Please, whoever you are. Please claim me soon." Troy said. He then threw a piece of his food into the fire. He then went back to his table, and began eating. Every now and again, he would toss a look over to Amy, who was laughing, and giggling with her brothers and sisters.

Soon dinner was over, and they began the Camp Bonfire. The Apollo Cabin starting singing Campfire songs, while others sang, and had fun. Troy sat by himself. Matt was out having fun talking with a Hephaestus camper about making him a new sword. His friends in the Ares and Athena Cabins were discussing strategies of war. Amy then suddenly joined him. She was smiling ear to ear. "Will you quit being such a downer? Have fun! Here, come dance with me." she said. She grabbed him and pulled him near the fire and starting dancing with him. There were many whistles, cheers, and the Aphrodite Campers saying how cute of a couple Troy and Amy would make.

Troy couldn't help but laugh, and smile. Amy was really bringing out the best in him. They danced for awhile, and soon Troy heard Matt yell "Troy and Amy are dancing? Dude, why didn't anyone tell me this stuff? You're the man Troy!"

"He's so funny." Amy commented.

"Yeah he is. He's been my best friend since he joined Camp Half-Blood. Had my back in the Second Titan War." Troy said, reminiscing about the hour he and Matt fought off as many of Kronos forces as they could.

"Yeah. You two were pretty brave." Amy agreed.

"If I recall correctly, you did some good work yourself." Troy said sheepishly.

"Nah, I didn't. All I did was shoot a monster in the eye." Amy replied.

"Which took skill." Troy told her.

"Well all Apollo children are blessed with excellent archery skills. Just like all Ares children like you are good with weapons, and hand to hand combat." Amy told Troy.

"Um Amy, I'm not an Ares child. I don't know who my parent is." Troy reminded her.

"Well, you are a weapons expert. You are good at hand to hand combat. I think you may be an Ares child. Why he hasn't claimed you yet is beyond me." she told him. Troy blushed, and be fore he knew what he was doing.

"Amy, can I talk to you in private?" he asked her.

"Sure thing." she replied., looking puzzled. The two walked away from the fire, and behind a tree. Amy was still looking puzzled.

"I've liked you for a long time, and wanted to know if you wanted to be my girlfriend?" Troy blurted out. Amy looked shocked, and then gave the biggest smile she had ever given.

"Yes! I'd love to be your girlfriend!" she exclaimed. She threw her arms around him, and hugged him. He hugged her back, and noticed her hair smelled of strawberries.

"Aww look at the cute couple." a voice said. The two turned around to see Matt grinning at them.

"You are a horrible individual, do you know that?" Troy asked.

"Yes, yes I do. Bigger problem. No one has seen Marcus all night." Matt said.

"Chiron sent him to his Cabin for the rest of the night." Troy replied.

"Well Chiron went to go get him, and he wasn't there." Matt said. He then walked away from the couple. Troy thought for a moment, and then let go of Amy, and walked towards the Cabins. Amy chased after him.

"Troy, relax. He's probably off somewhere." Amy pleaded. By this time, Matt caught up to them.

"Dude! Chill." Matt called after him. Troy reached the Hades Cabin, and kicked open the door.

"Marcus! Where in Tartarus are you?" Troy yelled throughout the Cabin. No one answered, the Cabin was empty.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Troy didn't get much sleep that night. He kept wondering where Marcus could have gone off to. After discovering that the Hades cabin was empty, Troy and the others immediately told Chiron. Chiron seemed pretty worried as well, but knowing that the children of Hades could use Shadow Travel, which meant they could travel by slipping into the shadows from one place to another, he probably wandered off somewhere to get away from the Camp, and Troy.

"Wonder where that slimy rodent went off too." Troy said to himself for the twentieth time. It was morning time by then, so he got up, got dressed and walked outside.

The mood in the Camp was unusually somber. The Aphrodite children were either crying or teary eyed. Chiron seemed distracted, and at times angry. Mr. D was somewhat irritated. Troy approached Chiron cautiously.

"Chiron, what's going on? Why does everyone seem out of it today?" he asked his teacher. Chiron looked down.

"I'll explain it all later Troy. But just know, something horrible has happened, and I fear it may cause a war." Chiron said sadly. Troy looked shocked. He turned around to see Amy and Matt approaching him. He walked over to them.

"Troy, what's going on dude?" Matt asked.

"Yeah. Why does everyone seem so down?" Amy also asked.

"Chiron didn't tell me. He said he would explain it later, and that it was bad enough that it could cause a war. A war against whom I don't know, but I have a feeling this could get really bad." Troy told the two. Amy and Matt exchanged glances. They knew Troy well enough to know that he would get himself involved somehow.

"Campers! Please gather around!" Chiron yelled. A tall girl with red hair, green eyes, and freckles.. Her name was Rachel Elizabeth Dare. She held the spirit of the Oracle of Delphi in her, and was the new Oracle (well, somewhat new, even though she became the Oracle three years prior). All the Campers gathered around Chiron, and Rachel, along with Mr. D, who had joined. "Mr. D has something to tell you all." Chiron said.

Mr. D cleared his voice. "Last night, well early this morning, whatever you want to call it, I was summoned to Olympus by my father, Zeus. It was an emergency meeting, and two Goddesses were missing; Queen Hera, and Lady Aphrodite. According to my father, the two had been kidnapped. By whom, we don't know. However, he has a pretty good idea on who it is." Mr. D told the group. The Campers looked at each other. Who would even dare to try and kidnap a Goddess?

Troy stepped forward. "Who does King Zeus believe kidnapped them?" he asked. Chiron hung his head.

"Evidence leads us all to believe it was Hades, Lord of the Underworld that took them." he said sadly. There were angry shouts from the Campers, tears from the Aphrodite children, and yells from Chiron for everyone to calm down.

"Guys! Let Chiron talk!" Troy yelled. Everyone ceased their yelling.

"Thank you Troy. I must ask that you all remain calm during this time. If it is true that it was Hades that kidnapped the two Goddesses, then surely war will breakout between Olympus and the Underworld." Chiron said. And with that, he walked away. The camps were silent, except from the crying and sniffling from the Aphrodite campers, who walked back to their cabin.

Troy pulled Matt and Amy away. "I'm pretty sure Marcus had something to do with this." he told the two. Amy and Matt exchanged looks, and then looked back at Troy.

"Troy, we know you despise Marcus with a passion, but to blame him for this is kind of unfair dude. All we know is he disappeared last night." Matt told Troy sternly. Troy rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, after Chiron told him not to go anyplace. He leaves, and two Goddesses are kidnapped? Does that not say coincidence to you?" Troy asked Matt. He then turned to Amy, who decide to play with one of her earrings. "Amy what do you think?" Troy asked her.

Amy looked away. "I think Matt has a point. You are kind of being unfair to Marcus for blaming all this on him when there is no proof he did it." she told him. Troy threw his hands into the air angrily.

"Seriously? Am I the only one who thinks that he did it?" he asked the two.

"I don't know if anyone else thinks that. But out of us three, yeah you pretty much are." Matt said. "I mean, Hades did kidnap Persephone and made her his wife."

"Yeah, and she ate the pomegranate seeds, and now has to return there for 6 months every year." Troy finished the story.

"Troy, will you listen to yourself? You are accusing a Camper of kidnapping two Goddesses! If it was true, Zeus would destroy him in a second! You can't go around saying things like this!" Amy shouted. Troy just shook his head, and walked away.

It was later that day that either Matt and Amy approached Troy. He was practicing his sword technique when they walked up to him. "Troy?" Matt asked. Troy stopped, and looked at the two.

"What's up?" he asked.

Amy cleared her throat. "We're sorry about earlier. I guess we both didn't seem to think about how much thought you put into this, and we're sorry." she said meekly.

"Not a big deal. I probably over reacted." Troy said, giving the two a smile. Amy beamed and threw her arms around him, hoping her hug showed him how sorry she was. He responded by returning the hug. Matt pretended to gag.

"No love for the Matt man? What's wrong with this picture?" Matt asked, in a fake tone of sadness. Amy turned and giggled.

"I'd give you a hug, but I'm not sure how it would feel giving my boyfriends best friend a hug." she said. The three laughed and headed back to the Camp area.

It was later that night during the bonfire, that Chiron cleared his voice. "Campers, I hope you all are doing better than this morning." he said, despite the fact the bonfire was low due to the attitudes of the Campers. "It is understandable that you are all upset, but do not fear, as we will find the culprit responsible for this tragedy."

"Let's hear a quest! Let a Camper go on a quest to find the Goddesses!" an Ares Camper yelled out. They all looked at Rachel, who attended the fire as well.

"I can't just force out a quest you know. It has to come from the spirit." she told them.

"Our mother is gone, and all you can say is you can't give us a quest?" Veronica Solan cried out, tears of frustration running down her face.

"Yeah, what she said!" Matt called out, joining her, and rubbing her back. She swatted his hand away, and Troy laid his head on Amy's shoulder.

"That poor, miserable boy." Troy muttered. Amy giggled, and patted Troy's head.

"We need to give him woman pick up lessons." she said. Suddenly, all the Campers gasped as Rachel s head went backwards, and her eyes turned white. A raspy voice then came out of her mouth:

_"The unclaimed one shall go on a trip _

_With the sun, and the messenger on an unknown ship _

_Through a sea of evil to an island that few dare _

_To rescue the goddess that is being kept there."_

Rachel's voice, returned to normal, and she returned to her normal self. Chiron stepped forward.

"A prophecy has been made, and so has a quest. Now we must decide who will go on it." he thundered.

"Troy's one of them! He's the unclaimed one!" a Demeter Camper yelled.

"Yeah! Go Troy!" an Aphrodite Camper yelled. "Get out mother back!"

"Dude, we don't even know if it's your mother is there." Matt shouted.

"Alright! Let's move on to the other two that are supposed to be on the quest!" Troy said. "The sun and the messenger."

"Well Hermes is the messenger God, and the prophecy said messenger, so I'm in." Matt said.

"Who said you could do it?" an Athena child snapped. Matt put his arm around Troy.

"Best friend to the unclaimed one. Son of Hermes. The prophecy said Messenger. Therefore; I'm in." he said again.

Troy nodded. "Man's got a point". he agreed. "As for the sun."

"That would be me." Amy said quickly. Troy gapped at her.

"I don't want to put you in harms way." he said. Amy smiled, knowing Troy cared that much about her to not have her go.

"My father is Apollo, the sun God, and it said the sun. And as your girlfriend, I call dibs." she said matter of factly. Matt put his arm around her.

"She's got a point dude. Who else would you rather have going on a quest with you other than your best friend and girlfriend?" he asked Troy.

"Why do I get myself into these thing?" Troy wondered out loud.

"No idea bro. Just keep the kissing and other crap couples do to a minimum. And I do mean.." Matt began before Amy smacked him in the stomach.

"Keep it clean Matt, or you won't make it through day one of our quest." she warned him. Matt just rubbed his stomach.

"So where are we going?" he asked. Troy thought a moment, and then turned around.

"Sea of Evil, and an island few dare. Pack up ship-mates. It looks like we're going through the Sea of Monsters." he said sadly.

"Any other Hermes kid want to go? I don't like the sound of the Sea of Monsters." Matt groaned.


End file.
